Character and Fitness

This is for those of you who have gone through the C & F review. I was going over the NJ application. There are several questions I will have to answer yes to 1. a juvenile arrest 2. academic dismissal and 3. not filing a tax return ( I was to receive a refund of $2 so I found it not worth my time). By the time I attempt to be admitted to the bar, all these will have been over 10 years old. I have changed much since that time. Do you believe I will have a problem with the review?

PS: I already emailed them. They told me it would take 2-3 weeks to get back to me. So I am curious until then

You'll be fine. If you poke around some of the ethics decisions in your state you'll find that many have been let in for much more egregious conduct. They might investigate it, but you will ultimately be admitted.

MA, I think there are a lot of people who have issues in their past that they'll have to report to the bar. It helps if the issues occurred at least several years before you apply to the bar. Community service is something the bar will look upon favorably when determining whether to admit you.

I have heard the stories of ex-convicts passing the character and fitness review. I'm sure others have been arrested more than once, and not just as a juvenile. But the stress for me is still there. I am feeling better about it though

Just to pile on - I also didn't file tax returns for a while, but unlike you my missed filings were quite recent (like many students, it simply didn't occur to me that I was supposed to file returns). By the time I had finished law school these matters had been addressed and rectified, and it never became an issue with the bar. Now, if you have returns still unfiled when applying, I expect that would be a different matter.

I guess I'll be explaining away that. I am feeling more confident thanks to the responses. I had a rough youth/early adulthood. But it made me a better person and am now excelling, in part because of that. So it is something I wouldn't change